Body abandoned at funeral home for five years

A Westmoreland funeral home director says he's at his wits' end after being stuck with a body for almost five years, as the family has seemingly vanished without a trace.

Arthur Linton, of Linton's Funeral Home in Darliston, says the situation has become unbearable.

"The challenges I'm having with this body is it's occupying space, and also the family, they have an outstanding balance that they need to come up and clear so I can get rid of the body. I tell them already, if they don't have the amount, just come up with at least $300,000 so I can get rid of the body," said Linton.

The body has been in Linton's possession since June 2020. The family had chosen a cremation package costing $280,000 but only paid $80,000 before communication stopped. With years of storage fees and the cost of keeping the body on ice, the outstanding balance has since ballooned to $1.2 million.

"I never have a body on the fridge for so long -- the most is two months," said Linton. But what makes the situation worse, Linton said, is that the family seems to have completely disappeared.

"The last time I spoke to them is about two years ago," he said. "They said they were going to get a cheque from the councillor, and they did not get back to me afterwards. I keep calling them, they blocked my number. I used another phone to call, and they blocked the other number same way. They hang up the phone on me so I can't get no form of dialogue. When I call the number, I realise the number is temporarily out of service like they changed it." Linton said even attempts to track relatives down in person have failed.

"The address that they put on the paper we went there and we couldn't find them. When we asked, people just mind them business. Normally, they [clients] take the funeral clothes at least a week before the burial, so on the onset, we did not have to go to their house." Linton said he's desperate to settle the matter.

"All them have to do is if they can get help from the government, seek help from their councillor or someone who can help them," he pleaded. "Mi would buy a half-finished box, build, buy one likkle spot a May Pen, and just bury the body and call it a day."

But when asked if the family could simply claim the body and he call it a loss, Linton said he had to clear up some of the storage fee.

"It is not my own storage. I have to use a particular home, and I have to pay them for the time that she has been there on the fridge."